Problems with gout...

grimnir

Has anyone here had experience with weight loss exacerbating problems with gout? Since I started dieting again, it's gotten easier and easier for my gout to flare up. Last time it was 5 beers and I was a little sore for 5 days. Yesterday I had ONE glass of wine with dinner, the first alcoholic drink since my last flareup, and I drank my 12 cups of water (I average 12-18 a day), and now I'm in so much pain that the thought of walking to the corner store is daunting. I've already had a ton of water today, and took indomethacin (powerful nsaid commonly prescribed for gout), but it still hurts, and likely will for several days.

I'm really concerned that my uric acid levels will continue to rise throughout my weight loss process, even though I drink a lot of water, which certainly puts a damper on my exercise regimen. Does anyone know much about this? I don't have health insurance or any money for pills, so I dunno what exactly I could do even if I did get a prescription for purinol or whatever it is they prescribe for this.

kdchick99

My husband has this problem. What works for him is low protein and low fat diet. He ends up eating alot of watermelon and salads to combat it.

techymum

I'm sorry you have the pain of gout - my husband does as well, and it can be so debilitating. I don't know about the weight loss part of it, but he has been drinking Black Cherry juice, and black cherry tea, as he learned that the compounds in them can help. Of course at this point you need real relief, but in the future, I would recommend the juice. He works construction, and has been much better since he regularly has his cherry items.

He also tries to eat less red meat, and no pork.

carrie2676

I don t know if this helps, but here's what i know. My husband has gout and takes all kinds of pills for it, like colcrys, uloric, indomethasin. When all else fails, he gets a script for methylprednisolone....i think its a steroid.
Also, know what foods to avoid (like turkey...its high in uric acid). I know he also avoids caffeine as much as possible. since you don t have insurance...ask your dr if they have samples. Websites for the drug companies will also help u out...check out needymeds.com also.

snobuni08

My boyfriend gets gout. Poor guy. #1 rule: STAY AWAY FROM ALCOHOL it causes an increase in the amount of uric acid the body produces, making it hard for the kidneys to excrete it. Also cut back on coffee and sodas as they help cause uric acid to form. Sweets and high fat foods ( including turkey and duck) tend to increase the pain of gout. Try to increase the amount of potassium you get from foods (spinach, bananas, yams, ect.) as it helps break down the crystals so they can be discreated. He also eats a lot of Blueberries, cherries, grapes and strawberries as they are supposed to help ease the pain.
Good luck!!! I hope you feel better soon.

2stepz

Fruits high in Vitamin C are supposed to help... but don't wait until they have fermented. Also, remember to stretch those muscles/joints very well (even your toe!) Increased blood flow to the area will help reduce the inflammation and pain, and the stretching also breaks up the crystals. Yes, it hurts, but it will shorten the duration.

Also - be careful of foods sweetened with fructose. I know vitamin C and fructose go hand in hand many times, but you want the Vitamin C and NOT the fructose!

grimnir

Yeah, I don't get it in my big toe like a lot of people, it's all through my right ankle and my left foot a couple inches back from the piggy that had none. :-P It's not always the same foot, and usually isn't both feet at the same time.

Yesterday I took my indomethacin and wound up drinking a lot of water, and woke up this morning with only some residual soreness in my right ankle. I'm SO relieved it wasn't a massive 5-day problem like it often is. I had one attack a few months ago that lasted a week and a half, so bad I couldn't walk even a little, I was going around on crutches, and agonizing pain like all the time.

One thing I've noticed more than anything that causes a flareup is just dehydration (or just lack of super-hydration, really). Digging around on naturopath-oriented sites last night I decided I really needed to up my water intake from 12-15 cups a day to 20-24 cups (aiming for at least half my weight in oz) while I'm dieting (i'm way lower on calories than mfp recommends for 2 lbs/week), and track it to make sure (I think I might have had only like 9 cups on Monday, but I wasn't tracking so I don't know). I'm at 16 already today, and I'll probably be up another 6 hours, so it's gone well so far. Make that 18 cups so far. The other thing I'm doing is unrestricting my sodium intake in hopes of retaining more water and encouraging my body to give up its toxins. We'll see how it goes.

grimnir

Okay, seriously, don't drink epic quantities of water without increasing your electrolytes accordingly. You need extra salt to make up for it, also extra potassium and magnesium. Eat a banana or three... I woke up with what I normally think of as a dehydration headache, seems to be going away after having a banana and a multivitamin. I guess I'll be eating more bananas...